The state of Tennessee is divided into three sections called the Grand Divisions: East, Middle and West Tennessee. I learnt when I moved to East TN that these divisions are not only legal but geographic.
The Grand Divisions are legally distinct; the earliest mention of this comes in the 1835-36 Acts of Tennessee. According to it, the Supreme Court would hold one session each year in East Tennessee (city of Knoxville), Middle Tennessee (Nashville), and West Tennessee (Jackson).
Why geographic?, because the divisions of the Tennessee follow geological lines, as follows.
East Tennessee includes part of the Appalachian Mountains, which stretch from Alabama and Georgia northward through TN to New England. Its Great Smoky Mountain National Park is one of the most visited National Parks in the US; it includes over 500,000 acres of forest, mountains, lakes and streams. The Appalachian Trail also runs through the park which is a true wonder of nature. East TN’s largest cities are Knoxville, Chattanooga and Johnson City.
Middle Tennessee includes the remainder of the Cumberland Plateau and the low-lying area called the Central basin or Nashville basin. The landscape is dominated by rolling hills and fertile valleys. Middle Tennessee is the largest division with approximately 41 % of the state’s surface.
West Tennessee lies in the Gulf Coastal Plain, a region that stretches northward from the Gulf of Mexico to Illinois along the Mississippi River. Principal cities are Memphis and Jackson.
Sources:
Map, Source: washingtonstatesearch.com
"Tennessee." Worldmark Encyclopedia of the States. . Encyclopedia.com. 6 SeSep.,2018 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
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